


Marble League Fraud EXPOSED

by molybdomantic



Category: Jelle's Marble Runs (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Intrepid reporters, local news, sports shenanigans, unsavoury sporting practices
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:15:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28069170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/molybdomantic/pseuds/molybdomantic
Summary: I would just like to say that this is very definitely an AU and I don't believe a word of it ;-)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	Marble League Fraud EXPOSED

**Author's Note:**

  * For [inalasahl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/inalasahl/gifts).



ANCHOR  
This is Jed McMarble coming to you live from the studios of Marble News - up to the minute, all the world round.

We report today on surprising levels of corruption and fraud which appear to be endemic to the Marble League. These competitors may seem to have been polished to a shine, but behind the glossy surface lies a web of nefarious actions and shadowy connections. Our report today exposes the unsavoury practices that prop up the multi-million dollar empires of teams such as the the Hazers and the Midnight Wisps. We reveal the true cost of this fraud for the sportsmarbles exploited by these teams.

SPORTSMARBLE 1 - IDENTITY AND VOICE OBSCURED  
(weeping) All I ever wanted was to roll for my team ... I feel so cheated.

ANCHOR  
Recent investigations have shed light on the unsavoury practices employed by many of the Marble League teams, and the shocking extent of the abuse which some sportsmarbles experience.

We go now to our investigative reporter, Rolly Murchinson.

REPORTER 1  
As the country reaches the peak of Marble League fever, not everyone is caught up in the excitement. For the sportsmarbles who compete in Marble League events this can be a time of threats, interference, and intimidation.

Competitors in the Marble League find themselves under attack both from rival teams and from their own management. Pressure from sponsors and management to excel leads to such unsavoury practices as treacling, where rival teams' lanes are coated with a subtle sticky layer to impede their progress, and chipping, which can lead to permanent disability.

SPORTSMARBLE 2 - IDENTITY AND VOICE OBSCURED  
I used to be the top of my league, but management always wanted more. I could persuade myself it was just friendly rivalry - a push here, a shove there - until finally I fell and cracked myself. Now I'll never race again. And all because they wanted a bit more money!

REPORTER 1  
Sportsmarbles also find themselves intimidated by threats ranging from demotion and withholding of pay to, in extreme cases, glass shards left pointedly in their beds.

SPORTSMARBLE 1 - IDENTITY AND VOICE OBSCURED  
I just can't go back, I'm too scared if what could happen to me.

REPORTER 1  
But perhaps the most harmful practices are perpetrated by coaches and managers on their own teams. A recent survey of professional sportsmarbles found that 62% have been pressured into taking anabolic spheroids at some point in their career, and 35% have thrown events at management's instruction by rolling more slowly than necessary.

Pressure from managers can even lead to marbles undergoing major surgery, such as heavy metal doping to increase momentum for underwater racing, or gyroscope implantation to improve balance performance. Both of these practices have been condemned by the marble sports body, MarbleWatch, but remain rife in the less scrupulous teams. The results can have life-changing consequences for the victims.

SPORTSMARBLE 3 - IDENTITY AND VOICE OBSCURED  
My health is terrible these days. I had to retire from racing, I'm just too worn out all the time. Turning corners in everyday life is so difficult, it's hard to describe. Some days I can't even tell which way is up. And of course living with an invisible disability, I have to ask other marbles to make exceptions for me all the time, it's really draining.

REPORTER 1  
And the point of all this? Further lining the pockets of already-rich teams. Over to you, Jed.

ANCHOR  
Thanks Rolly.

The shady characters behind these scams have seedy histories in the underworld of semi-legal gambling scenes. Ever since the shocking revelations of Hazy last year, we've known that Blizzard, the coach of the Snowballs, used to work on a roulette wheel in The Big Freeze casino in Snowflake City. Mellow, coach of Mellow Yellow, has extensive connections in the underground world of the shell game, and Sheen, manager of the Shining Swarm, also runs a chain of underground pachinko parlours across the continent.

Despite the best efforts of law enforcement and MarbleWatch, attmpts to bring rogue managers to justice have so far been largely unsuccessful. Hopes were raised by the landmark legal case against the Jungle Jumpers' management 6 years ago, but it has not translated into a crackdown on these illegal, marble-damaging practices.

Now, however, two courageous marbles have taken a stand. Kinnowin of the O'Rangers and Razzy of the Raspberry Racers joined forces today to launch a new charity aimed at raising awareness of sportsmarble abuse, supporting abused sportsmarbles, and campaigning for stricter new marble racing laws to protect their peers. SPIN, Sportsmarbles Protesting Illegal Nefariousness, motto "Don't Just Roll With It", has newly opened its doors.

Over now to our reporter Afra Spheroid who is live at the launch with Kinnowin and Razzy.

REPORTER 2  
Thanks Jed. I'm here today with two giants of the Marble League scene who are hoping to make the league a better place for their teammates and competitors alike. Kinnowin, could you comment on the problems that led you to start SPIN?

KINNOWIN  
Yeah, so, I'm really lucky to have the support of a close-knit family team, but all around us we see other teams that aren't so lucky, whose sportsmarbles are under pressure to cut corners and push themselves too far. We both believe that every sportsmarble deserves to be treated with respect and decency.

REPORTER 2  
Razzy, I gather you have a very personal stake in all this due to your racing history?

RAZZY  
I wasn't always a Raspberry Racer, I used to roll for another team - the Rosy Rounds, who are now thankfully defunct. Because they gave me a place I felt like I owed them everything, and they really played on that. I was manoeuvred into speeding through funnels and dragging behind in speed races because I worried I'd be dropped from the team if I didn't. Eventually they wanted me to try heavy-metal doping but that was my hard line and I resigned. The whole experience left me doubting myself and I was convinced I'd never race again. It wasn't until a chance conversation with Wispy, who persuaded me to get back into the roll of things again, that I've felt able to compete.

REPORTER 2  
Could you tell me a bit more about the aims of SPIN?

RAZZY  
From the get-go we're providing counselling and support for sportsmarbles affected by fraud or bullying, and we'd like to encourage any victims, past or present, to take advantage of our free, confidential phone support service.

REPORTER 2  
That number should be scrolling across your screen now.

RAZZY  
We'll also be working to raise awareness of the problems faced by sportsmarbles who are unlucky enough to find themselves in abusive teams. We'd like to raise transparency both to make these awful practices less acceptable and to make victims feel less alone. And we'll spend some of our time lobbying marbleparliament in hopes of getting the worst abuses outright banned.

REPORTER 2  
Kinnowin, could you comment on what your hopes are for the charity?

KINNOWIN  
We have a vision of a level playing field for every sportsmarble. Remember, you don't have to just roll with it!

REPORTER 2  
And there you have it. Back to you, Jed.

ANCHOR  
Thanks Afra. Here's hoping for a better future for all Marble League participants.

And to round out the news, a heartwarming story of three marbles stuck in a tree and their unexpected rescuer...

**Author's Note:**

> I would just like to say that this is very definitely an AU and I don't believe a word of it ;-)


End file.
